Normandy Four top diplomats seek OSCE Ukraine’s mission extension for another year

February 24, 2015, 17:56 UTC+3We have agreed to initiate as soon as possible joint steps toward the extension of the current OSCE mission’s mandate for one more year, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said

PARIS, February 24. /TASS/. Normandy Four countries - Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine - are set for taking joint steps toward the extension of the mandate of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission in Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Tuesday.

"We have considered possibilities for the improvement of the situation [in Ukraine’s east] in order to control the process of the heavy weaponry pullout and in this connection we unanimously spoke for the extension of the mandate of the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine due to expire in late March," Steinmeier said following talks of the foreign ministers of the Normandy Four states.

"We have agreed to initiate as soon as possible joint steps toward the extension of the current OSCE mission’s mandate for one more year," the German foreign minister added.

The foreign ministers of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine held a meeting in a Normandy format in Paris on Tuesday to discuss the Ukrainian settlement.